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RVD. COCHRAN. STRRR'T CAR CURTAIN.

No.- 474.902. Patented May 17, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR DfoooHRAN, on INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

STREET-CAR CURTAIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 474,902, dated May 17,1892. Application filed February 15, 1892. vSerial No. 421.547. (Nomodel.)

To all whom t may coli/cern.:

Be it known that '1, ARTHUR D. COCHRAN, of Indianapolis, county ofMarion, andState of Indiana, haveinvented certain new a/ndusefulImprovements in Street-Car Curtains; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, in which like figures refer 1olikeparts.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in street-carcurtains, and to one that is especially adapted for use on open orsummer cars, and will be understood from the following description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a part of a car, showing oneof my curtains drawn down and parts of two others. Fig. 2 is a verticalsection of the same on the line w w, Fig. l, showing the curtain thrownup. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional View on the line a: Fig. 1, showingthe lower part of the curtain, it being drawn down. Fig. 4 is acrosssection on the line 'y y, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a crosssection on theline z z, Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a side view showing the connections of thecurtain to the lower stiening-wire, and Fig. 7 shows a plan and edgeview of the bottom stiening-wire.

In detail, 1 is the frame-work of a streetcar, 2 the seats, and 3 theconnecting uprights. These uprights, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, havesemicircular grooves 4 on opposite sides, and at the bottom of each ablock or casting 5 is set, in which the lower end of the vertical rod orwire 6 is placed and retained in position by a set-screw 7, the rods 6extending upward and nearly to the top of the uprights and just abovethe guide-wheels 8, mounted in brackets 9, secured to the uprights 3 oneither side of the rod 6.

10 is the curtain, which is attached to any ordinary spring-rollersupported within the car, as shown at 11, and the curtain passes overthe idler-roller 12, in line with the vertical rods 6. The curtain 10isformed by lapping over its sides and stitching the same together, thelower ends being secured at each side around the rings 13, formed oneither end of the stiffening-wire 14, the cloth or curtain materialbeing held in place by the wires 15, which press the material into thegrooves 16, formed in the rings orloops 13, these wires passing throughsmall holes 17 in the Wire 14, as shown in Fig. .7. The curtain thusformed is secured in place by slipping the two rings 13 over the tops ofthe vertical rods 6, the brackets 9, with their guide-wheels 8, beingafterward putin place. The curtain can then be moved up or down upon therods, being guided by them, and at the same time the guide-Wheels 8prevent the rods 6 from being strained or pulled out of place, and thewire loops 15 around the rings at the bottom of the curtain preventanyfrictional contactwith the curtain material, so that the curtain isnot easily worn or injured by tearing.

1S is a rubber stop pivoted on the inside of one of the uprights 3, asshown in Figs.2 andv 3, and is for the purpose of holding the curtain inits lowest position when drawn down, and should at any-time the curtainbe pushed up by any one not experienced in its use the rubber stop wouldcontract and allow this to be done. -At the same time its `strength isentirely sufficient to prevent the curtain from being thrown up by anysudden jolt or jar of the car. The advantage of this curtain over theones ordinarily in use is that there is no space left at either side bywhich rain or air can penetrate into the car, and the construction andoperation'of the curtain is so simple that it is not likely to get outof order, as is the case with ordinary curtains. Should at any timeeither of the vertical rods G be bent or broken, the set-screw 7 in thesocket-block 5 can be loosened and the old rod readily taken out and anew one put in place.

WhatI claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isthe following:

1. In a street-car curtain, suitable uprights having vertical grooves ontheir opposing faces, vertical rods removably seated at the base of suchgrooves, a curtain supported from a spring-roller above such rods, thesides of such curtain hemmed around the vertical rods, the bottom ofsuch curtain attached to a horizontal wire having loops fitting aroundthe upright rods, such rods held in a vertical position at their top bymeans of guide-wheels, which bear on the curtain, substantially as shownand described.

2. A street-car curtain suspended from a suitable roller, its two sideshemmed, and its lower edge secured to a wire having rings at either end,suoli rings and the hem of the kcurtain adapted to work upon verticalrods within the grooved faces of suitable uprights, such rods retainedin their vertical position by means of guide-Wheels, which bear on0pposite sides of the curtain out-side of therods, such Wheels mountedin brackets connected to the uprights and a guide-wheel at the top otsuch rods, and a catch at the lower end for holding the curtain in alowered position,

substantially as shown and described.

3. A curtain suspended from a` suitable roller, the sides of suchcurtain heinmed, its lower edge attached to a stiffening-wire hav ingrings or loops on its outer ends, such rings and the hein of .thecurtain adapted to work up and down on vertical rods suitably connect'edto the frame-work of a 'car at their base, their upper ends retained ina vertical position by guide-wheels, which bear against the curtainoutside of the rods, substantially as shown and described. f

4. A street-car curtain suspended from a suitable roller, the sides ofsuch curtain hem med, a stiffening-wire attached to its lower edge,rings formed on the ends of such wire having grooves in their faces, theside hems of the curtain fitting over such rings and re- In witnesswhereof I have hereunto set my I hand this 11th day of February, 1892.

ARTHUR D. COCHRAN.

Witnesses: Y

H. D. NEALY, E. B. GRIFFITH.

